Arrested Development co-stars apologize to Jessica Walter amid interview backlash
Male cast members diminish Jessica Walter's experience being berated by Jeffrey Tambor
Jason Bateman and Tony Hale are apologizing for comments they made in defence of their Arrested Development co-star Jeffrey Tambor, who has been accused of verbal harassment of another co-star, Jessica Walter, on the show's set.
In a series of tweets Thursday, Bateman says his comments were "wrong" and that it seemed like he was "condoning yelling at work."
Based on listening to the NYT interview and hearing people’s thoughts online, I realize that I was wrong here. <br>I sound like I’m condoning yelling at work. I do not. <br>It sounds like I’m excusing Jeffery. I do not.<br>It sounds like I’m insensitive to Jessica. I am not.<br>In fact, I’m-
—@batemanjason- horrified that I wasn’t more aware of how this incident affected her.<br>I was so eager to let Jeffrey know that he was supported in his attempt to learn, grow and apologize that I completely underestimated the feelings of the victim, another person I deeply love - and she was..
—@batemanjason"I was so eager to let Jeffrey know that he was supported in his attempt to learn, grow and apologize that I completely underestimated the feelings of the victim, another person I deeply love — and she was sitting right there," Bateman wrote in a string of Twitter posts.
"I'm incredibly embarrassed and deeply sorry to have done that to Jessica. This is a big learning moment for me. I shouldn't have tried so hard to mansplain, or fix a fight, or make everything OK."
... sitting right there!<br>I’m incredibly embarrassed and deeply sorry to have done that to Jessica. This is a big learning moment for me. <br>I shouldn’t have tried so hard to mansplain, or fix a fight, or make everything okay.<br>I should’ve focused more on what the most important...
—@batemanjason...part of it all is - there’s never any excuse for abuse, in any form, from any gender. And, the victim’s voice needs to be heard and respected. <br>Period. <br><br>I didn’t say that and instead said a bunch of other stuff and not very well. <br>I deeply, and sincerely, apologize.
—@batemanjasonBateman was reacting to a cast interview in the New York Times in which Walter, at times in tears, discussed Tambor verbally harassing her on the set — something Tambor himself had previously referenced as a "blowup" in a recent interview with the Hollywood Reporter.
"In … almost 60 years of working, I've never had anybody yell at me like that on a set," Walter said in the Times piece.
The complicated discussion stemmed from the reunited cast's comments about allegations of sexual misconduct by Tambor on the set of another series, Transparent.
Online backlash
The New York Times interview, conducted in advance of Arrested Development's return to Netflix for a fifth season next week, sparked a massive backlash on social media.
Critics have accused the male stars of downplaying Tambor's verbal harassment on the Arrested Development set at the expense of Walter.
one small but very striking thing from that nyt arrested development interview: jason bateman essentially explaining "how the industry works" to jessica walter, as if she isn't an accomplished veteran of the same industry.
—@soalexgoesI can’t stop thinking about that NYT interview with the Arrested Development cast. It’s such a perfect distillation of men’s reflexive instinct to protect other men at the expense of women. And then men wonder why harassment — in all its forms — is still such a pervasive issue.
—@SarahLernerMe reading that awful NYT interview with the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ArrestedDevelopment?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ArrestedDevelopment</a> male cast members mansplaining harrassment to Jessica Walter <a href="https://t.co/rOnyMMRXRa">pic.twitter.com/rOnyMMRXRa</a>
—@tomandlorenzoDuring the interview, as her co-stars attempted to justify Tambor's on-set behaviour and describe harassment as common in Hollywood, co-star Alia Shawkat responded by saying: "But that doesn't mean [verbal abuse is] acceptable. And the point is that things are changing, and people need to respect each other differently."
Hale also apologized Thursday, tweeting that his words "served to minimize Jessica's pain."
I have reached out to Jessica personally to apologize. Arrested Development is one of my families. Regardless of my intentions, it is clear that my words, both said and unsaid, served to minimize Jessica’s pain and for that I am extremely sorry.
—@MrTonyHaleNetflix scrapped plans for the Arrested Development cast to meet fans in London on Friday, saying it had decided "not to move ahead with promotional activity."
With files from CBC News